Marco Levytsky, NP-UN Western Bureau.
The majestic voices of the Axios Men’s Ensemble filled the air with a heavenly presence at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Calgary, December 16 and St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Edmonton, December 17, 2017.
The latter was filled to capacity as an enthralled audience listened to the uplifting rendition of Ukrainian sacred music entitled “Advent with Axios”,
Advent, or as it is called in the Christian East, Pylypiwka, is the fast that precedes Christmas and the concert focussed on the music that celebrates the Nativity of our Lord.
For these performances, Axios was joined by four Guest Artists from the Boyan Ensemble of Kyiv.
Guest conductor Michael Zaug of Edmonton’s professional Pro Coro choir stepped in to fill regular conductor Boris Derow’s shoes.
The set list was deliberately omitted from the printed program in order to allow the audience to concentrate more on the music, but it included selections with varied compositional styles – from Baroque masters such as Dmytro Bortniansky to contemporary figures such as Hania Havrylets.
It started with З нами Бог, Petro Turchaninov (soloists: Mykhailo Babych and Deacon Yuri Volyn) as the members filed in from the back assembled in front of the altar.
The continued with:
Mи херувими/We Cherubims, Bishop Ionofan (soloist: Oliver Munar)
Отче Наш/Our Father, Bishop Ionofan
Христос народився/Christ is Born Composer: Boris Derow (soloist: Taras Zakordonski Sr.)
Мале Славослов’я/Lesser Doxology: Glory to God in the Highest Composer: Mykhail Strokin (1832-1887)
Хваліте ім’я Господнє/Praise the Name of the Lord Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Arrangement: Pavlo Chesnekov (1877-1944)
Діва Днесь/Today the Virgin Composer: Dmytro Bortniansky (1751-1825)
Рождество Христове/The Birth of Christ, Kyrylo Stetsenko (1882-1922) (arrangement: Victor Hrytsyshyn b. 1955)
В полі полі плужок оре/In the Field, the Field, Tills the Plough Arrangement: Bohdan Antkiv (1942-2009
Що за радість (arrangement: Oleh Mahlay) (bandurist: Ihor Ridosh)
Чути дзвони/The Bells are Heard Composer: Mykhailo Verbytsky (1815-1870)
The Lamb, John Tavener (arrangement: Alex McCune) (soloists: Oliver Munar, Nathan Willis)
Ой, во граді Вифлеємі/Oh, in the Town of Bethlehem Composer: Victor Hrytsyshyn (soloist: Nestor Petriw)
В неділю рано/On Sunday Morning Composer: Hutsul Carol Arrangement: Boris Derow
О Pано Pано/In the Morning, Vasyl Stupnytsky (1879-1945)
Радуйся/Rejoice Composer: Hania Havrylets (b. 1958)
У надії Божа Мати/In Hope God’s Mother Composer: Victor Hrytsyshyn (b. 1955) (soloist: Namisha Hlus, Markian Gowda).
Following a rousing standing ovation, Axios closed with their encore piece –
Велике славословіє/Greater Doxology: Glory to God in the Highest Composer: Dmytro Bortniansky (1751-1825).
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